Tampa convention bulks up staff

By Alexander Burns

06/01/12 05:39 AM EDT

The Republican National Convention announced the hiring of four new senior aides this week: Todd Cranney, Romney's deputy political director, to lead delegate outreach; consultant Tony Feather to lead whip operations; former RNC communications director Jim Dyke as senior adviser and former RNC chief of staff Anne Hathaway as program director.

Those are heavy-duty additions to the convention roster. It would have made sense to pad the high-level staff at this point in any case; it's also possible to see these hires in the context of Republican elites' view that the convention is going to be a high-wire act, and that the success of Ron Paul supporters in running up their delegate count at state conventions isn't going to make things any easier.

The Tampa Bay Times has more here on the Romney camp's ramp-up in Florida.